Speaking at the UN Commission on Human Rights during...

Speaking at the UN Commission on Human Rights during the vote on the resolution on the death penalty, a representative of Libya called for a roll-call vote on L.93 and indicated that her delegation would vote against the draft resolution. Libya had joined the United Nations because it originally upheld the principle of the sovereign right of States. This principle was being eroded under various pretexts such as humanitarian intervention and interference with the legal systems of States. This applied to the subject under discussion. The draft resolution disregarded the dignity of the victims who were killed or assassinated. The death penalty concerned the justice system and was not a question of human rights. Indeed, If one wanted to promote human rights, one had to consider the rights of victims. In Libya the death penalty was applied only to the most serious crimes. Libya therefore voted against the resolution on the death penalty approved by the UN Commission on Human Rights on April 25, 2001 (2001/68).